Bhubaneswar, Sept. 8: A kathak dance and flute performance set the mood this evening at the 22nd annual Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival under way here.
The performance by kathak maestro Asimbandhu Bhattacharya started with an invocatory piece in honour of Lord Shiva. His techniques of kathak yoga, a choreographic innovation presented with dexterity and precision, mesmerised art connoisseurs. The fourth evening of the festival also saw a flute recital by Praveen Godkhindi. He was accompanied on the tabla by Satyajit Talwalkar.
Famous artistes from across the country are performing at the festival held at Rabindra Mandap.
On the inaugural day on Monday, the audience was treated to a performance by three prominent Odissi dancers - Aruna Mohanty, Meera Das and Sujata Mohapatra - who weaved magic on stage with their moves.
The three began with the traditional mangalacharan, an invocatory number, which was followed by harsadwani pallavi. Their final act, Nari, depicted three mythological characters - Sita, Shabari and Meera.
"Watching the three most beautiful women Odissi dancers together was a wonderful treat," said young dancer Mamata Das, who was present at the show.
The dancers were accompanied by Ratikanta Mohapatra and Bijaya Kumar Barik on mardala, Ramesh Chandra Das and Agnimitra Behera on violin, Srinivas Satapathy on flute and Ekalabya Muduli on manjira.
The fest also featured other artistes, such as A. Kanyakumari, who captivated art lovers in the city with her violin recitals. She was accompanied by T.K. Shekhar on the thavil and Rajendra Nakad on the tabla.
A Bharatnatyam performance, presented by Satyanarayan Raju, was a blend of elegance, precision and aesthetics. Raju's recital of Ram Katha, a journey into the life and struggles of Ram, was hugely appreciated.
Sitar maestro Shahid Parvez enthralled the audience with a Hindustani classical rendition in Raag Charukeshi. He was accompanied on the tabla by Mukesh Jadhav.
Yogesh Samsi left the audience wanting more with his tabla solo performance. Tanmay Deochake accompanied the artiste on harmonium.
The award ceremony will be held on the concluding evening tomorrow. The awards will be conferred on Kishor Kumar Mohanty and Jharana Das for their contribution to dance and cinema respectively. Awards will also be given to young artistes who have excelled in their fields.